Motor vehicle



C. R. PATON Nov. 23, 1937.

MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Dec. 5, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CLYDE]? Fara/v.

. Nov. 23, 1937.

c. R. PATON MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Dec. .5, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5L 227E]?Fara v:

Patented Nov. 23, 1937 Moron VEHICLE Clyde R. Paton, Birmingham, Mich.,assignor to Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation ofMichigan Application December 5, 1932, Serial No. 645,711

11 Claims.

This invention relates to motor vehicles and particularly to the meansor method of supporting the engine or propulsion unit upon, or ofconnecting the unit to, the frame.

One of the'objects of the inventionis to so support the unit that therewill be insulation of the unit from the frame without such movement ofone relative to the other as to cause difficulties.

Another object of the invention is to provide sufiicient initialflexibility in the engine mounting to insure cushioning of the torquereactions but with the further provision of means to ,.definitely limitthe amount of this movement so that said reactions will not build up atcritical speeds.

Another object of the invention is to provide flexible supports foranengine or propulsion that will permit initial flexibility but whichsupports are sufficiently numerous and sufiiciently spread that afirmness is obtained which will not permit undue movement of the unitrelative to the frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide a somewhat flexible engineor propulsion unit support which confines the rocking movement of theunit in the frame to an axis passing substantially through the tower ofthe, gear shift lever to thus minimize relative movement of the unit andthe body' at this point.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rigid connecting linkbetween the engine or 3: propulsion unit and frameco-operating with aunit control element such as the clutch operating shaft, for the purposeof confining the movement of the unit relative to the frame to adefinite path so as not to interfere with the operation of the 35control element.

Another object of the. invention is to so support the front the of theunit at a single point that there will be sumcient flexibility at thatpoint as far' as rotary movement of the engine is concerned due toreaction to its own impulses,.but so that such supporting point willtend rather definitely to limit the torsional movements of the front endof the vehicle frame, such as are due to ,,tramping action of thevehicle or to rough roads. 0 Other objects of the invention will appearfrom the following description taken lnconnection with the drawings,which form a part of specifica- Fig. 2" is a somewhat enlarged verticalsec- 55 tional view substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on the line 7.' of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on the line 88 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 9 isan enlarged section on the line 9-9 15 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, l0 represents the vehicle frame and H is thebody mounted'thereon. The frame is composed of the usual side membersand several cross members and with 0 the body attached to it theframeand body become a structural unit, the rear portion of which, by reasonof the body connection, is more rigid than the front portion. Thefront,end,.of the' frame therefore is subject to a torsional vibrationabout a neutral axis extending longitudinally of the frame. This may becaused by wheel wobble or aide tramp or otherwise by the road shockstowhich the vehicle is subjected.- The vertical location of this axis may,at the front of the 0 car, lie near the plane of the frame side rails.The front axle is indicated at I2, with itswheels I3, and the rear axleis,shown at II with its wheels [5. These axles are connected in anysuitable manner to the frame through the usual 35 springs which are riotshown inthe drawings. The engine or propulsion unit ingeneral isindicated by the numeral 20, and as shown it com prises the engine part2|, the clutch part 22 and the gearing part 23, which three partsinclude 40 suitable casings which may be made integral or in severalsections. As shown the engine crank .case is secured tothe clutch'casingand the to the upper part of. the radiator 25, and a similar connection,not shown, is arranged between the lower part of the radiator and theengine .ter pump.

The driver's seat or the vehicle is indicated at M and in front of thisseat is the usual steering wheel and column 3|. Also extending into thefront compartment of the vehicle andwithin easy reach of the driver is agear shift lever 32 and a clutch lever 33, the former being adapted foroperation by hand and the latter by the drivers foot, in the usual way.The gear shift lever 32 is mounted for universal pivotal movement in ashort tower or casing 34 mounted on the clutch or gear casing, and thelower end of the lever extends into the gear casing for moving theshiftable gears. The clutch lever 33 is pivotally supported on thevehicle frame, as at 35;

see Figs. 1 and 3. The tower 34 and the clutch lever 33 extend throughsuitable openings in the floor boards 36 of the vehicle,

The engine or propulsion unit 20- is supported on the frame at threepoints, A, B and C, the point A being at the front end of the engineunit and the points B and C being substantially separated from eachother near the rear end of the unit. A plane through the centers ofthese three points is indicated at X in Fig. 1, and these points are soarranged with relation to the distribution of weight of the unit thatthe center of gravity of the unit is close to the plane X. Thus in theunit illustrated the center of gravity thereof. is substantially at thepoint Y, in Fig. 1, which is just slightly above the plane X abovereferred to. Hence the three engine supports are well placed to resistthe tendency of the unit as a whole to move laterally during theoperation of the vehicle in turning-or otherwise.

The engine support A is substantially in line horizontally with thepivotal mounting of th gear shift lever 32 in the tower or casing 34,and the supports B and C are so arranged and constructed relative to thetower 34, and the 'flexibility of these supports is such that therelative rotary movement of the engine, due to its reaction to theimpulses thereof, is substantially on an axis passing through said tower34 and the pivot of the gear shift lever, so that the rocking movementof the engine referred to produces a minimum of vibration of the towerand of. the gear shift lever pivot, with respect to the floorboards 36through which thetower passes. The specific construction of the supportsB and C will be hereinafter described.

The front mounting A is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and its details areillustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. The channel side members of the frame Inmay be referred to as III in the drawings, and a front cross member isindicated at 46. This cross member is removably secured to brackets 4|on the side members H) as by the bolts 42. Adjacent the middle portionof the cross member 46 there is a rectangular opening and the metal ofthe web is bent in a U-shape to form the boundary ofv this opening asshown at 43 in Figs. '7 and 8. The rectangular opening is longerhorizontally than it is vertically as particularly shown in Figs. 2, 7and 8. A front cover 44 of the motor has riveted to it as at 45 a plate46 which is formed with a rectangular boss 41 extending forwardly fromthe motor cover. A similar plate 48 with a reversely formed boss 49 isdetachably secured to the plate 46 as by the bolts 50. The exteriordiameter of the plates 46, 46 is greater than the opening in the crossmember 40, and the rectangular es 41, 49, are somewhat smaller than thatop ning, thus leaving a rectangular space betw en the bosses and theU-shaped walls 43 of t e cross member 46. Also, this rectangular spaceis narrower above and below the bosses than at the sides of the bosses.

The rectangular space referred to is filled with tween the sides of theU-shaped parts 43 and the flat portions of the plates 46, 48. Thisrubber filling is made in the form of two blocks instead of one, for theconvenience of assembling.

With this construction the front end of the engine unit is supported onthe cross member 46 of the vehicle frame through a flexible mountingwhich will permitlimited rocking action of the engine about an axispassing through the middle of the bosses 41, 49 of the support A, butthe rectangular shapes of. the bosses and of the opening in the crossmember 40 definitely limit this rocking motion. This support insulatesthe engine from the frame and by reason of the position of the supportsomewhat above the frame side members there is a distinct tendency onthe part of the engine to limit or dampen the torsional movements of thefront end of the vehicle frame such as are due to tramping action of thevehicle or to rough roads.

Thus it is a well recognized fact that rubber possessesfconsiderableinternal hysteresis, and when stressed, as by the application of forcesin compression, tension, or shear thereto, de-

velops heat. Asa result, rubber is quite effective in dampingvibrational disturbances, the mechanical energy of the vibrations beingapplied to the stressing of the rubber and being thereby dissipated inthe form of heat.

The rear supports for the engine are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and in somedetail in Fig. 6. Here there is a frame cross member 60 riveted orotherwise secured to parts of the frame l0 such as the diagonallyextending members 6| thereof. The cross member 60 extends beneath thegear casing 23 and has an upwardly extending arm 62 at each side of thegear casing and adjacent thereto; An inverted U -shaped member.63 isdetachably connected as .by bolts 64 to each of the arms 62, and adiagonal brace member 65 may be provided from the upper end of. each arm62 to a'point at the sid'e of the frame H] where it is secured as at 66.Only one such brace member is illustrated. Upon each side 'of the engineunit, adjacent the arms 62 is a bracket 10 having detachably secured toit as'by bolts 1| an inverted U-shaped member 12 which is larger the"U-shaped member 63, as shown particularly inFigs. 3, '4 and 6. Arrangedbetween and preferably cemented or vulcanized or otherwise secured tothe members. 63 and ,12 is a U-shaped block or cushion of :rubber 13.Thus the rear portion of the engine unit isyieldablysupported throughthese rubber blocks;

By reference particularly-to Figsh 3 and 6 it I will be seen that therubber blocks 13 extend diagonally in a vertical plane transversely ofthe vehicle so that the rubber is in shear when resisting relativemovement of engineand frame in a path substantially normal to a radiusfrom the upper end of the gear shift tower 34. Since this is true ofboth of the rubber blocks, and since the front end of the engine isflexibly supported at a single point by the support A the rocking actionof the engine in the frame, due to the reaction of the impulses withinthe engine, will be substantially about an axis passing through thefront support and through the gear shift lever tower, thus minimizingmovement of the gear shift lever than and surrounds tance.

and tower due to such rockingaction of the en- Having thus described myinvention, what I gine.

But the support of the rear portion of the engine through thesemountings B and C is not on the rubber in shear, but mostly on therubber in compression, and by reason of the diagonal arrangement ofthese supports the engine is firmly held within small limits so far aslateral bodily movement is concerned. Also, by reason of the U-shape ofthe rubber blocks 13, as shown in Fig. 6, the engine is quite definitelylimited in its longitudinal movement in the frame. In this latter boththe front and rear mountings lend assis- In some cases it is founddesirable to more definitely limit the rocking action of the engine asreferred to above and for this purpose the present shaped member 82secured to the side frame member l0. Between these members 8|,82 is arubber block 83 which is cemented or vulcanized or otherwise secured tothem. Thus the rubber block 83acts partly in shear and partly incommeans of this construction the engine unit is mounted in the chassisframe so as to be quite stable laterally and the three supports definethe rocking axis of the engine unit and dampen and finally limit rockingaction about such axis.

The clutch lever 33 and its pivotal support 35 on the frame III of thevehicle has been hereinabove described. It is connected to operate theclutch through an arm 90, a link 9| and a lever 92, thelatter extendinginto the clutch housing and hence mounted on the engine unit. Theflexible engine mounting above described will of course permit a limitedamount of movement of the engins-longitudinally of the frame and it isobvious that such movement would be likely to interfere with theoperation of the clutch. through this leverage. For the purpose ofconfining the movement of the engine relative to the frame to a definitepath so as not to interfere with the operation of the clutch or otherengine unit control elements, a guide link 93 is provided, which linkispreferably'substantially the same length as the link at and is shown asarranged parallel thereto.

The link 93 is connected by a universal pivot 94 claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a supporting frame, an engineunit including a gear shift lever pivoted thereon, and yieldingsupporting means acting between the forward and rearward ends of saidunit and the frame, said yielding supporting means being so constructedand arranged that the rocking action of the-engine due to torquereaction will be about an axis substantially through the pivot of saidlever.

2. In a motor vehicle, the combination .of a supporting frame, an engineunit including a gear casing and a gear shift lever pivotally mounted onthe unit, a yielding support for'the front end of the unit on the frame,said support and the pivot of said lever being substantially in the samehorizontal plane, and two substantially separated yielding supports forthe unit on the frame adjacent the gear casing portion of the. unit,said engine unit supports defining the rocking action of the engine dueto torque reaction on an axis substantially through said front supportand the pivot of said lever.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a supporting frame including across member, an en- 'gine unit having a portion extending above saidcross member, supporting means for the unit on the frame including anupwardly extending arm on said cross member at one side of said unit, ayielding motor support between said arm and the side of said unit, and adiagonalbrace member extending from the upper end of said arm to a sidemember of said frame.

4. Motor supporting means for motor vehicles provided with aipropulsionunit including rigidly connected clutch and transmission housingsandmotor block mounted on the frame and having a gear shift leverpivotally supported in an upstandsaid frame and the forward end of saidmotor' block, said suppo ts being constructed and 'arranged to carry theweightof said propulsion unitwhile allowing rocking movement of thelatter about a longitudinal axis passing through said tower.

5. Motor supporting means for motor vehicles provided with a propulsionunit including rigidly connected clutch and transmission housings andmotor block mounted on the frame and having a gearshift lever pivotallysupported in an upstanding tower on the transmission housing; said meanscomprising yielding laterally spaced supports actto the frame it or tothe cross member 60 thereof a and by auniversal pivot on a bracket 86 onthe engine unit. Insulation is provided by means of bushings 91preferably ofrubber. This construction is particularly illustrated inFigs. 1, 3, 4 and 5.

While I have herein described in some detail a specific embodiment of myinvention, which I deem to be new and advantageous'an'd may specificallyclaim, I do not desire it to be understood that my invention is limitedto the exact details of the construction, as it will be apparent thatchanges may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scopeof my invention.

ing between said frame and said transmission housing and a singlecentrally disposed yielding support acting between said frame and theforward end of said motor block, said supports being constructed tolimit lateral rocking movement of said propulsion unit principally to anaxis passing through said tower.

In a motor vehicle, the combination with a vehicleframe, of astructurally rigid propulsion unit including a motor, clutch andtransmission gearing and housings, therefor, of yielding supportingmeans acting between the front end of the unit and the frame andpermitting lateral rocking movement of the unit on the frame, and twolaterally spaced yielding supports connected between the frameand the'unit adjacent the rear end of the latter and at opposite sides oftheflunit, said rear supports being arranged lower than said frontsupporting means, a gear shift lever for 75 the horizontal and verticaland having a deformable element interposed between said surfaces, theplanes defined by the cooperating surfaces of the oppositely disposedrear supports being normal to lines intersecting at a point above saidsupports, said point defining with said front supporting means an axisof lateral rocking movement for said unit passing through said tower.

7. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a supporting frame, of anengine unit, a yielding support for the front end of the unit on theframe, two substantially separated yielding supports for the unit on theframe adjacent the rear end of the unit, the maximum yielding action ofsaid rear supports tending to permit'rocking action of the engine unit,said supports transmitting the weight of the engine unit to the frame,and a limit arm extending laterally from the engine unit and having acushioned connection to the frame including rubber subjected principallyto shearing stress on the occurrence of rocking movement of the engineunit.

8. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a supporting frame, an engineunit, unit supporting means on each side of said unit, each of saidmeans including inverted U-shaped members one within the other and oneof said members connected to said engine unit and the other connected tosaid frame, the sides of the U being disposed in planes transverse tothe longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and a U-shaped rubber blockpositioned between and secured to said members acting in shear to affordthe principal force exerted by the supporting means in opposition torelative movement of the engine unit and the frame in a directiondefined by the plane of the base of the U and in general parallelismwith the sides of the U.

9. In a motor vehicle having an engine unit, the combination with-thechassis frame having side and cross members, and the engine unitcomprising rigidly connected motor, clutch, and gear casings, of asingle'central support between the front end of said unit and thechassis frame at a point substantially above the side members thereof,said support comprising a rubber cushion formed to damp relativeoscillations at the support, and two rear supports between said unit andthe chassis frame, said rear supports being substantially separated andsymmetrically arranged on opposite sides of said unit and eachcomprising a rubber cushion receiving the weight of the engine incompression and-so that rocking of said unit due to motor impulses isresisted and damped by the rubber of said rear supports in shear, theposition of said rear supports being lower than the front support andsuch that the center of mass of the unit is substantially in a planeintersecting the three supports whereby the engine unit is stablelaterally in the chassis frame, and said three supports combining todefine the rocking axis of the engine unit with relation to the chassisframe and to dampen and finally to limit such rocking action about suchdefined axis.

10. In a motor vehicle having an engine unit, the combination with thechassis frame having side and cross members, and the engine unitcomprising rigidly connected motor, clutch, and gear casings, of asingle central support between the front end of said unit and thechassis frame at a point substantially above the side members thereof,said support comprising a rubber cushion formed to damp relativeoscillations at the support, and two rear supports between said unit andthe chassis frame, said rear supports being substantially separated andsymmetrically arranged on opposite sides of said unit and eachcomprising a rubber cushion receiving the weight of the engine incompression and so that rocking of said unit due to motor impulses isresisted and damped by the rubber of said rear supports in shear, theposition of said rear supports being lower than the front supports andsuch that the center of mass of the unit is substantially in a planeintersecting the three supports whereby the engine unit is stablelaterally in the chassis frame, and said three supports combining todefine the rocking axis of the engine unit with relation to the chassisframe and to dampen and finally to limit such rocking action about suchdefined axis, said front and rear rubber cushions each having a confinedportion extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehiclefor resisting movement of the engine unit in a longitudina i directionby compressive reaction of the rubber. V

11. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a supporting frame, an engineunit, unit supporting means on each side of said unit, each of saidmeans including U-shaped members one within the other and one of saidmembers connected to said engine unit and the other connected to saidframe, the sides of the U-shaped members being disposed in substantiallyparallel planes transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle andextending in substantially the same direction from the bases thereof,and a U-shaped rubber block positioned between and secured to saidmembers acting in shear to afford the principal force exerted by thesupporting means in opposition to relative movement of the engine unitand the frame in a direction defined by the plane of the base of the Uand in general parallelism with the sides of the U.

CLYDE R PATON.

